BEAUTIFUL FEET AND GOOD TIDINGS

Romans 10:8-15 says, “The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!”

Only Christ for Me

Praise the Lord for the salvation of precious souls. One such precious soul saved by the grace of God is Musya who attends our Indonesian Bible Study conducted by Murni and Mega. In a recent letter to Murni, she shared her testimony:

“Hi Murni, how are you? Actually last Sunday, I wanted to say something to you, but I did not see you. Basically, I believe that Jesus is the Lord, the Saviour of man. Actually I do not know why I believe that Jesus is God. Whereas before, I did not want to know another religion except Islam, but after I read the Bible, my heart was moved to see that only Christianity can give me salvation at the end-time. Day by day, I read the Bible and I began to understand what the Word tries to tell me. Surprisingly, the more I read it, the more I like it. The Word itself is very beautiful to hear and it brings peace to my heart. I do not want to waste time anymore but to repent. I want to believe Jesus right now. I am a sinner that needs help. I am willing even if all those I love hate me because I have become a Christian. This is because Jesus says that everyone who believes in Him shall get eternal life in heaven. I do not care if persecution comes after I believe in Jesus. I also want our friends who are still unbelievers to start to believe also. Murni and Mega, don’t ever give up to lead the lost and stray sheep because they need to be saved too. Thank you so much for your help.”

The Word of God is powerful to save. “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” (Heb 4:12). The Bible is very powerful because it comes from the one only living and true God who created heaven and earth. The Bible is 100% perfect without any mistake. When we believe the Bible, we are saved. “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (Rom 10:17).

Perfect Bible Is Good News

In reaching out to Muslims with the good news of Jesus Christ, a 100% perfect Bible is key. Dr Chris Marantika a theologian from Indonesia in his book Principles and Practice of World Mission (Yogyakarta: Iman Press, 2002) wrote, “Enemies of Christ find it easy to attack the Bible in Islamic cultures. They will tell the Muslim community the Christians believe that the Bible is full of human errors. They point to seemingly inconsistent passages in the Bible, and they quote well-known Christian scholars who believe that the Bible contains errors. These enemies argue, therefore, that the Bible is not the Word of God.

“Even though most scholars in Indonesia believe the Bible has errors, God’s people cannot accept this idea. The lay Christian in a Muslim culture refuses to believe that this Book, which is superior to the Koran, has any errors in it. Even if they cannot explain the concept of the inerrancy of the Bible, they accept it as a divine miracle.

“Evangelical theologians bear a heavy responsibility for explaining and upholding the fact that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God. To do otherwise not only dishonors God, but it also makes Christianity a second-class, undesirable religion in an Islamic culture. …

“In relation to the inerrancy of the Bible, we make two appeals to evangelicals outside the Islamic world. Firstly, do not send to the Muslim world Christian scholars and missionaries who do not believe that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God. Secondly, do not support students from Muslim countries studying in seminaries and Bible Schools that teach the Bible is errant. Support those who go for indepth study of the inerrant Word of God. The need in the Muslim world is for more workers and scholars who believe and teach that God’s Word is wholly without error.” (p150-151).

VPI & VPP

This is precisely what we at Far Eastern Bible College (FEBC) and True Life BPC are doing when we uphold not only the Verbal Plenary Inspiration (VPI) but also the Verbal Plenary Preservation (VPP) of the Holy Scriptures. Without a 100% infallible and inerrant Bible Christians have no good news for the world. But thanks be to our all-powerful and ever faithful God that we do have such a tangible Word which is 100% perfect without any mistake. God made sure of it for He has perfectly preserved His inspired Word to the jot and tittle (Ps 12:6-7, Matt 5:18). Indeed we have a Bible we can hold in our hands, a Bible we can open and use confidently and authoritatively to preach the gospel of Christ and teach the whole counsel of God with full assurance that it is the very Word of God—“Thus saith the LORD,” “It is written”.

It is no surprise that Satan is upset and has launched an all-out assault against all who believe in the perfect preservation of the Bible and its present infallibility and inerrancy. Will Satan succeed in his attempts to destroy or silence God’s Word and God’s people? This is what God says, “So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.” (Isa 55:11). “For we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth.” (2 Cor 13:8).

Idols Are Nothing

Another precious soul saved is Mdm Yeo Lay Hwa, the mother of Jan and Ryan our church members. Mdm Yeo has been attending our church services for the last six months. The Lord has been working in her heart to grant her the faith. She has finally decided to confess her faith in Christ and asked for the idol (Tua Pek Kong) in her house to be removed.

Tua Pek Kong which came into existence in the 18th century is known as the god of prosperity among the Chinese. He was actually a man by the name of Zhang Li from the Hakka clan in China. In 1745, he set sail for Sumatra to seek his fortune but due to a storm landed in Penang. With about 50 people he settled there. This community grew and prospered under him. After his death, the local people built a temple and worshipped him as Tua Pek Kong (meaning “Great Grand Uncle”). Tua Pek Kong has since become a popular household god in Malaysia and Singapore.

Mdm Yeo said she no longer prays to Tua Pek Kong since she has believed in the Lord Jesus Christ. On the Lord’s Day of October 19th, she requested for the idol in her house to be removed. That very afternoon, pastor with some members of the Evangelistic Band visited her in her house. Kenny, Jan and Ryan were there as well. We had a short service, and pastor read from Psalm 135 highlighting verses 15-18, “The idols of the heathen are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands. They have mouths, but they speak not; eyes have they, but they see not; They have ears, but they hear not; neither is there any breath in their mouths. They that make them are like unto them: so is every one that trusteth in them.”

Idols are the work of man’s hands and are no gods at all. They are lifeless objects and cannot do anything. There is only one God who is living and true. He sees, He hears, He works. He is all-powerful. He is the God of the Bible who is the Maker of heaven and earth. He is our Creator and our Saviour. God became Man to save us from our sins. “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Tim 2:5). “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.” (Acts 16:13).

HOLY LAND PILGRIMAGE

Last Friday, we had our 18th Holy Land Pilgrimage prayer meeting at FEBC. This time 44 pilgrims are set to visit the land of promise from December 7 to 19, to learn more about their Saviour in the very land where He lived and died and rose again.

Each time we go to the Holy Land we want to be a blessing to the people there as much as we desire the Lord’s blessings to be upon us. There are Messianic Jews as well as Palestinian Christians worshipping and serving the Lord in the Holy Land. When we are there we will worship with our fellow Bible Presbyterians at Baraka BPC in Bethlehem. We also pray for the peace of Jerusalem (Ps 122).

One added blessing in this pilgrimage is a pilgrimage songbook by Dr Paul Lee Tan (www.tanbible.com). Dr Tan is a good friend of FEBC and has taught eschatology and the interpretation of prophecy to our students in 1998 and 2006. Each pilgrim will get a free copy compliments of Dr Tan. Our brother Christopher Tan who holds a CertBS from FEBC and has a talent for music assisted Dr Tan in putting the songbook together to be out on time for our year-end pilgrimages. Here’s a recent letter of appreciation (Oct 26) from Dr Christine Tan (Dr Paul Lee Tan’s daughter):

To: Mr. Christopher Tan

Dear Christopher,

Greetings in Christ, from Jerusalem!

In a few days, our PTPM-organized Holyland tour (99 total) will commence. We will be actively using the “SINGSPIRATION” Songbook, compiled by Dr. Paul Lee Tan, with excellent helps from yourself and Ms. Keji Lu.

I just had a chance to listen to your piano-playings (corresponding to the “Singspiration”), and was spiritually blessed.

In addition to appreciation from Dr. Paul Lee Tan, may I also add my own…

Thanks very much for your love for the LORD, in “going the extra mile,” to let members be able to learn and know these excellent, time-tested, classic hymns. I will be sure to encourage members to go to your website.

May our faithful God continue to abundantly bless your music ministries for His kingdom. And may He continue to strengthen and encourage the wonderful FEBC ministries (under the late Dr. Timothy Tow, and now under Dr. Jeffrey Khoo), which has produced such solidly Biblical ministers of the Word.

Sincerely in Him,

Christine J. Tan